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Undergraduate Program in Geography

If you are interested in people, places, global diversity, sustainability, or current world political, economic, and environmental issues, then UMass Geography is the place for you!

It is an exciting time to be an undergrad geography student at UMass! We have seven different undergraduate degree options, we offer a vibrant set of courses on environmental issues, environmental policy, and sustainability, and the recently-established Geography Club has been very active with field trips and award-winning team competition in the collegiate World Geography Bowl. Students have great opportunities for international study and study at other universities within the U.S. during their undergraduate years, and many make the most of this.

Student Opportunities

Our majors include coursework designed specifically to aid students in preparing for careers in a wide range of fields through an integration of fundamental knowledge, marketable job skills, and preparation for successful job and /or graduate school applications.

Students studying towards Geography BA and BS degrees benefit from integrating courses from cognate fields into their degree programs, particularly those offered by Geography affiliate faculty in other departments and programs. For a list of faculty and affiliate faculty and their specialties click here

Understand Diversity:

Appreciate the diversity and spatial variation of peoples, cultures, identities, and political, economic, social, socio-ecological, and ecological systems and conditions.

Learn about People and Environment:

Understand the historically and geographically complex and dynamic relationships and interactions of people and environment, including socio-ecological systems, current environmental issues and policy debates, and key conservation, development, and sustainability concepts and approaches.

Focus on a Theme:

Develop a background in a concentration, with choices for BA concentrations in human geography, environment and sustainability, international studies, climate change and society, urban geography, or Geographic Information Science and Technologies (GIST).

The BS Program in Physical Geography:

Geography offers students the opportunity to study the dynamics of global and local environmental change and to place their local experience in a global perspective. Physical geography involves studying the physical processes, both natural and anthropogenic, that affect the earth’s surface, atmosphere, and biosphere. The department has strengths in the study of climate, climate change, landforms and land surface processes, remote sensing of the environment, and GIS analysis and applications.

BS students in physical geography build on a foundation of math, chemistry, physics, geology, and computer science. The degree begins with the UMass geography core curriculum and adds three advanced physical geography courses and four additional electives. Click here for the Geography BS Degree Requirements.